We left Kruger, taking a longer dirt road in the hopes of any last minute animals, but only got a giraffe sighting and this kind of foreboding road-sign that made us all shift nervously for what lay ahead.....
......luckily we made it out safely and made our way to ---
SWAZILAND!
Swaziland is a small mountain kingdom that is an independent nation - it borders South Africa and Mozambique. It is TINY and really cool. We stayed at a great hotel in the middle of the Ezulwini and Malkerns Valleys, the picturesque and touristic center of the country. That night, Sean and I visited a Swazi casino!!! And lost $20. :)
The next morning we got up and visited a Swazi village that featured cultural dances, singing, and a tour through a historic village. The village grounds also had a beautiful waterfall! On the way out we drove by Melanie's favorite US Embassy!
We left Swaziland feeling like we would have loved to stay longer... one day was not enough, even for this small of a country. Really relaxed vibe, chill, welcoming, and really friendly. In the words of a British ex-pat we met there: "In South Africa, you lock your car doors. In Swaziland, you don't." True dat.
Enjoy the pics and vids below:
SWAZILAND ARRIVAL:
logging is a major industry
BRIDGE AHEAD DEAL WITH IT
Swazis
hotel grounds - also a working farm - very pretty!
sculpture garden on hotel grounds
SWAZI VILLAGE:
traditional dancing and singing!
historic Swazi village
waterfall slam
Melanie [water]falling for Swaziland!
the casino Sean and I rocked during our only night in Ssswwwaaazzz
Love the road experiment! Africa has the best signs!
ReplyDelete